This Week in Weird, Nov. 28

Wednesday

Nov 26, 2008 at 12:01 AMNov 26, 2008 at 5:59 AM

A roundup of unusual news of the past week as reported by GateHouse newspapers.

Man faces drug charges after he's caught asleep at the wheel

BEVERLY, Mass. -- A man police found asleep behind the wheel at a green traffic light early last Saturday morning was charged with several drug offenses, including possessing and distributing oxycodone and cocaine after he attempted to flee, allegedly scattering drugs in the process.

Police said they found Charles Jordan, 42, asleep at the wheel after receiving a call that a person was sleeping in a car.

Officers Timothy Mezza and Scott LeBlanc arrived at 5:41 a.m. to find Jordan sleeping behind the wheel of his car at a green light at an intersection, according to a statement from Officer John McCarthy, the Beverly Police department’s spokesman.

After trying a few times, Mezza was able to wake up Jordan, who, when questioned, admitted he had a suspended driver’s license. When he was getting out of the car, Jordan dropped a small container and began running away. As he was running, he also threw a plastic bag. After a “brief foot pursuit,” the officers caught Jordan and arrested him, police said.

Both the container Jordan dropped and the plastic bag he threw had drugs in them, McCarthy said.

Police brought Jordan back to the police station and charged him with a subsequent offense of operating a motor vehicle after license suspension, trafficking cocaine, a subsequent offense of possession with the intent to distribute heroin, a subsequent offense of possession with the intent to distribute oxycodone, drug violation near a school zone, a subsequent offense of carrying a dangerous weapon — a spring loaded knife, resisting arrest and an open container violation.

Bizarre dispute lands man in jail

MORGAN COUNTY, Mo. -- An altercation between neighbors this past weekend led to one man locking himself in his neighbor’s house and later being taken to the hospital with head injuries.

According to Sheriff Jim Petty, deputies were called to an Ivy Bend residence about 10:30 Friday night with a report of shots fired.

While some details remain unclear as the sheriff’s department continues its investigation, Petty said when deputies arrived at the home, they found that 40-year-old Joseph Gower had been involved in some type of physical altercation with family members. At one point, shots were fired in the Gower residence, although apparently not aimed at any particular person.

Petty said he did not know who fired the gun, but said Gower had threatened to kill several people, including a 16-year-old juvenile at the home.

Gower, who had allegedly been consuming alcohol, then went over to his neighbor’s home, where he locked all the doors.

Petty said deputies could see him through the windows sitting in a recliner and then laying on the couch.

The owners of the residence were contacted for a spare key to the front door.

Deputies were able to take Gower into custody without further incident.

However, he was soon on his way to an area hospital by helicopter. Gower was suffering from brain swelling and other injuries he had suffered sometime during the fight at his own residence, Petty said.

Petty said four guns were seized from the two homes.

More mystery meat found

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- The mystery of the Town Centre common meat continued as a resident found another pile of meat.

Precinct Seven Town Meeting member Chris Walsh said several people checked the common Tuesday night at 11:30 p.m. and it was meat-free.

But Wednesday between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m., someone discovered the apparently rotting meat on the common, he said.